Alice and the babysitting mystery
by aims80
Summary: **COMPLETED** Alice is sure there is something weird about her Mom's new boyfriend, and she is also the babysitter of his son. Please R
1. Chapter One

1.  
  
Alice sighed, and leant her head against the car window. Sometimes she wondered how she got herself into these things! Maybe it was the fact that she was good-natured, and didn't like to say no.  
  
"You know that James is a diabetic right? So that means-" Her mother began.  
  
"-if he has a diabetic attack I have to give him some of the jelly beans that are in the container on top of the fridge and call Mark on his cell phone straight away" Alice completed.  
  
"Right, and if he is thirsty after he goes to bed-"  
  
"-he can have water. Relax mom! I've got it!" Alice said. "It should be Mark panicking like this not you!"  
  
"It's just that I want to make sure everything's alright!" Her Mom explained.  
  
"I'm sure everything will be fine. I have babysat before you know!" Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Back home I used to baby-sit for the twins all the time!"  
  
"Alice, I wish you'd stop referring to Donvale as home. We've been here three months now, surely it's beginning to feel like home?" Her Mom said.  
  
Alice didn't reply. How could she tell her Mom that she didn't feel like this was home? That "home" was where the rest of her family-her Dad, and her brother, and her grandparents-and friends were. Not somewhere they'd moved because her Mom and Dad got a divorce and her Mom decided to go back to work full-time, and when she got her "dream job" this meant moving halfway across the country and leaving behind everyone she loved? And that sometimes she regretted going with her Mom? And that she didn't think too much of her Mom's new boyfriend?  
  
"Alice?" Her Mom persisted.  
  
"It's just, well, sometimes I miss Dad, and my friends.." Alice said, sighing.  
  
"Oh sweetie that's perfectly normal." Her Mom replied, glancing over at her, and then looking back at the road. "If you didn't I'd be concerned! But you know you can spend summers with them. And when you go to college if you want to go to one back over on the East coast that's perfectly alright with me!"  
  
"I haven't even thought about college yet." Alice admitted. "It seems so far away."  
  
"It's never too early to start planning your future!" Her Mom said. "Like whether you want to do prelaw or not?"  
  
Alice's Mom was a lawyer and as long as Alice could remember she'd always hoped one of her children would follow in her steps. Whilst Alice considered herself and her Mom close (that was probably the main reason she moved with her-she was a lot closer to her than she was to her Dad) she wasn't too sure she wanted to be stuck in a courtroom all day!  
  
"So, what exactly is this fundraiser tonight?" Alice said, changing the subject.  
  
"It's for the new building. The firm and a few other firms, think it would be good if we were all in one building. That way, with us all specialising in different areas, it would be nice and neat." Her Mom explained.  
  
"So Mark's firm would be moving into the building too then?" Alice asked.  
  
"We hope so, yes." Her Mom replied.  
  
"Hmmm." Alice said, but she didn't have time to say anything else, because they were pulling into the driveway of Mark's fairly large house. It was in a nicer area than where Alice and her Mom lived, but Alice still felt that the cozy house she and her Mom shared was far more "homey" than this. She had a sudden thought that if her Mom and Mark got married they'd have to move into here, and made a face.  
  
"Are you coming in?" Her Mom frowned at her.  
  
"Oh, right, sure." Alice said, getting out of the car.  
  
Mark answered the doorbell almost straight away. "I thought you'd changed your mind." He said.  
  
Alice glanced at her watch; they were only five minutes late for god's sake!  
  
"No just my outfit at the last minute. Alice didn't like the one I had on- she thought it was too.revealing."  
  
"Sounds fine to me." Mark said, winking at Alice, who managed a weak smile. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the man which she just didn't like. On the phone to her brother the other day she'd told him this, and he asked whether she just didn't like the fact that their Mom had a new boyfriend already? "I'd probably feel the same way if Dad came home with some new chick!" He assured her. Alice had agreed that this was a possibility, but even so she couldn't shake the feelings she had about him. At least his seven-year-old son, James, was cute!  
  
"Where's James?" Alice asked.  
  
"Watching television. His show doesn't finish for another ten minutes, so you won't get a word out of him until then. Come in and say hello, and I'll say goodbye." Mark said, and they all went down the few stairs to the sunken living room.  
  
James was seated on the floor, only a few meters from the television, engrossed in the show.  
  
"I've told him on countless occasions not to sit so close to the television." Mark said, shaking his head. Then he went over and kissed his son on the top of the head. "We're leaving now, make sure you do what Alice tells you!"  
  
James nodded.  
  
"Okay-we're off then. You know his bedtime and everything. My cell phone number is number one on the speeddial in case you need me, but everything should be fine." Mark said.  
  
"Sure, bedtime at eight thirty, and after that I'll just curl up with this exciting novel for English." Alice said, indicating her backpack. "It usually puts me to sleep, but since I'm here maybe I'll be able to concentrate more."  
  
"Okay, and remember if you want anything to eat or drink help yourself." Mark said.  
  
Alice's Mom took his hand. "She's done this before Mark." She assured her boyfriend.  
  
"I know, I know. But with James' problems and all I can't help but be a little concerned." Mark replied, with a rueful grin.  
  
"We wont be any later than twelve I shouldn't think." Alice's Mom said, giving her a kiss.  
  
Mark smiled and then they were off.  
  
Alice sat in an armchair waiting for James' program to finish. When it did he turned round and grinned at her. "I love that show. I wish I had an alien as a friend."  
  
"You do-me!" Alice replied, and he laughed.  
  
"You're not an alien!" He said.  
  
"Of course I am!" Alice assured him.  
  
"Okay-if you're an alien what planet do you come from?" He demanded.  
  
"Mars!" Alice replied, and he shook his head.  
  
"You can't! Scientists say Mars is unin-unha...you can't live there!" He said confidently.  
  
"Well they would say that wouldn't they? They don't want to scare the people on earth, do they?" Alice asked.  
  
He looked at her for a moment, and then shook his head again. "Nice try. Wanna' play Monopoly before I go to bed?"  
  
"Sure, as long as you don't mind losing?" Alice replied. She glanced at her watch; he had almost an hour before he had to go to bed. Plenty of time for a game!  
  
He ran out of the room, and came back a few moments later with the game. They sat down on the floor and began to play. 


	2. Chapter Two

2.  
  
Alice glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was much later than she had thought.  
  
"Hey guess what James?" She asked.  
  
"What?" He asked, counting his money happily. He was quite an entrupenur, owning houses and hotels all over the board-all of which kept taking Alice's money!  
  
"It's past your bedtime. You should have been in bed twenty minutes ago!" Alice replied.  
  
He grinned cheekily. "Should I? I didn't notice the time."  
  
Alice had to laugh. "I bet you didn't!" She said. "Well whatever the case it's time to get upstairs and into bed!"  
  
"Okay, but I need a drink of water by my bed." James said.  
  
"Well you get up and into bed, and I'll bring your water up in a minute." Alice offered.  
  
He nodded, and left the room. Alice cleaned up the game, and put it back in the box, and went into the kitchen. She was getting the glass of water when the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" she answered.  
  
There was no answer, but from the breathing on the other end Alice knew the person hadn't hung up.  
  
"Hello?" She asked again.  
  
There was still no answer but the breathing sounded slightly heavier.  
  
Rolling her eyes she hung up. She couldn't be bothered with some stupid prank. Or someone who had called the wrong number and was too rude to say so!  
  
As she was walking out of the room the phone rang again, and she sighed and answered it, deciding to take a different tack. "Hello, Wyatt residence." She said.  
  
There was the same heavy breathing and Alice frowned, annoyed.  
  
"Listen if you don't have anything to say don't waste your money by calling!" She snapped.  
  
"I've got something to say." The caller said, a man's voice, but it sounded muffled.  
  
"Okay, and what is it?" Alice asked, trying to be as polite as she could, but she was still annoyed.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you the story about the babysitter who got killed." The caller said.  
  
"And I want to tell you to get lost. You don't scare me creep!" Alice snapped, hanging up. If the phone rang again she wasn't going to answer it she decided, and she took the water upstairs to James.  
  
"You took a long time." James greeted her.  
  
"Is that the thanks I get?" She asked, putting the glass beside the bed.  
  
"Thanks." James said. "Who was on the phone?"  
  
"Wrong number." Alice replied, tucking him in.  
  
"You're lying." James said.  
  
"Am I?" Alice replied lightly.  
  
"Yes. You said it like my Daddy does when he says no James, you don't have to stay in the hospital this time. And then I have to stay!" James said.  
  
Alice smiled at him sympathetically. "Do you go to the hospital a lot James?" She asked.  
  
"Yes. That's why Mommy ran away. She hated it." He said.  
  
Alice frowned. "Your Mom ran away?"  
  
"Yes three years ago, and she hasn't even sent me a card for my birthday since!" James said, a little sadly. But, Alice thought, he was certainly coping with it better than many kids his age was did. With his illness and all she supposed he had to be fairly well adjusted.  
  
"So-who was on the phone?" James asked, persistently.  
  
Alice laughed. "It was some stupid kid playing a joke. Prank call."  
  
"Was it the fridge one?" James asked excitedly.  
  
"The fridge one?" Alice repeated.  
  
"Sure the one where they say is your fridge running? And if you say yes, then they say well you better go catch it!" James replied, laughing.  
  
Alice had to laugh as well. "No it wasn't that one. They actually didn't say anything on this one. Maybe if they call back I can ask whether their fridge is running?"  
  
"Yes!" James said.  
  
"Anyway kiddo, get some sleep now. It's way past your bedtime!" Alice said.  
  
  
  
"Okay, goodnight Alice. Thanks for babysitting me." James said, snuggling into his bed.  
  
'What a cutie!' Alice thought with a smile as she went back downstairs. And what an awful shame it was about his Mom-she made a mental note to ask her Mom whether she knew anything about it. She knew people didn't just up and leave without a reason for it!  
  
She settled on the couch with her English novel-Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. As hard as she tried though she couldn't get into it. For some reason she was feeling restless, and she got up and wandered about the big house. Maybe the stupid call before had freaked her out more than she thought? A noise outside startled her. It sounded like a branch breaking. She took a deep breath and shook her head.  
  
"Come off it Alice. How many times have you babysat before?" She asked herself out loud. "Enough to be more grown up than this!"  
  
Even so, she couldn't shake the strange feeling she had, and so she gave up trying to concentrate on Pip and Estella and instead turned the television back on. She flicked through the channels, Mark had cable so that was good, and finally settled on the cartoon network.  
  
  
  
Before she knew it "The Jetsons" were over, and "Scooby Doo" was on. She glanced at the clock. It was almost ten thirty, she hoped that her Mom and Mark got back soon!  
  
  
  
The phone's ringing startled her, and she jumped. She hesitated, before deciding to answer it. What if it was her Mom or Mark checking up on things and she didn't answer it. They'd be a little concerned!  
  
"Hello Wyatt residence." Alice said.  
  
"Do you know what twelve o'clock means?" The caller asked.  
  
"Midnight? The next day?" Alice asked, wondering whether or not she should just hang up and leave the phone off the hook.  
  
"No, the witching hour." The caller replied.  
  
"That's great. Why don't you ring someone else and tell them then?" Alice replied sarcastically. She didn't want them to know that they had freaked her out a bit.  
  
"At twelve I'll arrive." The caller said.  
  
"Okay, see you then." Alice replied airily, and she hung up. Even though she'd treated it as a joke she was a little freaked out by it, and she concentrated on the cartoons.  
  
Before she knew it she had fallen asleep, and a noise woke her up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to get her bearings. It took her a moment to realise that she was in her Mom's boyfriend's place babysitting, and she glanced at the clock. Twelve. Out the front there was a bang, and she jumped. A sudden realisation hit her like icy water; the caller had said he was coming over at twelve, and it was twelve now, and there was a noise out the front! She took a deep breath, and pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart. She looked around the room, and spotted an antique vase sitting on the mantle. She got up and picked it up. It was certainly very heavy, if she hit someone on the head with it as hard as she could she was pretty certain that she would knock them out. Walking quietly she made her way to the front door and pressed her face to the glass plate. She couldn't see anything, but then she heard the crunch of footsteps on the steps, and moved back a little, so she was standing near the door. She raised the vase, ready to strike.  
  
The door opened slowly, and then someone stepped through, and Alice raised the vase even higher, and the person yelled "Alice!" and she hesitated, and then she heard her Mom's voice "What's going on here?" And she realised it was just Mark and her Mom.  
  
"Geez Alice, what are you doing? Were you going to hit us over the head with the vase?" Alice's Mom asked.  
  
It wasn't really any use telling her no, Alice decided, and she told them about the prank calls. "I've had them before of course and they haven't bothered me, but maybe it was the strange house and all?"  
  
Her Mom was looking at her strangely, but Mark seemed relatively calm.  
  
"Was James okay?"  
  
"As good as gold." Alice replied. "Mom-can we get going? I'm pretty tired!"  
  
  
  
"Right sweetie." Her Mom still looked slightly confused by the whole thing.  
  
  
  
"If James gives you a good report we might have to call upon your services again." Mark said, as he waved goodbye. "Even if you did try to brain me with a vase!"  
  
Alice managed an embarassed smile. 


	3. Chapter Three

3.  
  
Alice was quite bleary-eyed when she got up for school the next morning. She'd fallen asleep in the car on the way home from Mark's, and was glad it meant that she had avoided her Mom's questions. She went downstairs, and her Mom was in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Alice got a drink of juice, and then sat down.  
  
"Tired sweetie?" Her Mom asked.  
  
"A little yeah..." Alice admitted.  
  
"So, tell me then, what scared you so much last night?" Her Mom asked, looking over her newspaper.  
  
"Just some stupid idiot ringing me. At first he didn't say anything, just breathed loudly, and the second time I got angry and asked if he had anything to say? He said he wanted to tell me about the babysitter who got killed, and I hung up. And then a few hours later he called me back to tell me that twelve o'clock was the witching hour and that he was coming to get me then. And I fell asleep, and then I heard a noise-which was you and Mark but I thought about the call-and got scared." Alice explained. "But like I said I think it could have had something to do with being in a strange place and all. Because back home-ah, back in Donvale, if someone called me and played a stupid prank it didn't bother me in the least."  
  
"Maybe." Her Mom replied thoughtfully. "Anyway; how was James?"  
  
"Like I said last night as good as gold. He's a cute kid that one. Mom-do you know about his Mother?" Alice asked, remembering her mental note.  
  
"A little. She and Mark didn't have a very happy marriage from what I gather. One night she just left. Mark picked James up from his daycare and dropped him off at his Grandparents for the night, because he and his wife were meant to be going out for dinner to celebrate their anniversary. He was making every effort to work things out-for James' sake mainly I think. Anyway, he got home and she was gone. She'd taken some of her things, her car, her money, and things. And she hasn't even called for James' birthdays since. Mark has no idea where she is, but he thinks maybe New York since she used to always say she'd love to go there!" Her Mom explained.  
  
Alice shook her head. "James thinks she left because he was sick."  
  
"That's an awful thing for a child to think!" Her Mom said angrily. "But she did used to get annoyed at all the trips to hospital. Maybe that's one of the reasons she left them?"  
  
"Has Mark tried to track her down?I mean, do her family know where she is?"  
  
"Her parents are dead and she was an only child. Of course he tried all her friends to find out if they knew anything but none did. That was three years ago now, and to Mark she may as well be dead." Her Mom said, and then she glanced at the time. "I'll be late for work if I don't run!"  
  
"Okay, see you later then." Alice replied, and she hurried off to work, kissing her on her way past.  
  
As she got ready for school she thought about what her Mom had told her; Personally she wouldn't like being married to Mark, but there was no way she'd leave her son behind and then not even speak to him in three years!  
  
**********  
  
Alice almost fell asleep in my history class, and it was only her friend Cloe's nudging which made her realise that the teacher had asked her a question.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch the question.." Alice said, red-faced, and the class laughed.  
  
"I'm sure you didn't since you were almost asleep. I asked what the Boston Tea Party is?" The teacher repeated.  
  
Alice wracked her brains trying to remember what it was. "Wasn't it some kind of dispute between the English and the Americans? And didn't they dump the tea into the water? And didn't-"  
  
And then, like a miracle, the bell rang. The teacher sighed. "Well it looks like you were saved by the bell-but try and get some sleep before our next class alright?"  
  
Alice nodded, and gathered up her books. Cloe smirked as they walked to their next class. "You're lucky she likes you. If that was me I'd still be there being lectured."  
  
Alice had to admit it was true. Kevin, a guy from class, was walking nearby and he leant over "Yeah, but you would have told her it was some big picnic on the banks of the water!" He said.  
  
Cloe made a face and grinned. Her smart mouth was well known and had gotten her into a lot of trouble in the past. But she was a great friend, and when Alice had arrived at the school a few months back she'd been the first to welcome her, and therefore had become her best friend! In the group they hung out with she was the unofficial leader, simply because she always said what she thought, and came up with some of the best plans ever!  
  
Kevin walked off, and Alice told Cloe about the night before. And then she finished with telling her about how Mark's wife had just ran off with no prior warning, and how she must have been a cold-hearted bitch to not even say goodbye to her son, nor write or call him!  
  
She frowned for a moment. "That doesn't sound right to me." She finally said.  
  
"Right to you?" Alice repeated, a little confused.  
  
"My Mom works as a secretary where Mark works. When I told her that your Mom was seeing Mark she mentioned his wife. She said it was a shock when she left because from what she saw they had a great marriage. And, according to Mom, she was so devoted to James it wasn't funny. Of course Mom did say that she and Mark could have been putting up a good front when it came to the marriage, but she said you can't fake devotion, and she'd seen Alicia, that was her name, in there with James, and she said she doted on him. Mark even complained to Mom once that Alicia spoilt him rotten. Doesn't sound like a cold-hearted bitch to me!" Cloe finished.  
  
Alice frowned. "Then why would she just up and leave?"  
  
"I don't know, I'm just telling you what Mom said." Cloe replied, a little huffily.  
  
"Does your Mom like Mark?" Alice asked, as they went into the classroom for their math class.  
  
"I don't know. She didn't say. Why?" Cloe asked.  
  
"No reason really, it's just I don't know what, but there is something about him I don't like!" Alice explained, as they took their seats.  
  
"Maybe it's the fact that he is dating your Mom?" Cloe suggested.  
  
Alice laughed. "My brother said the same thing.." She admitted.  
  
"Face it Alice, you don't like the idea of your Mom being with someone other than your Dad." Cloe said confidently. "And so you think that there is something wrong with him."  
  
"Maybe." Alice replied, but she wasn't quite as confident as her friend was. 


	4. Chapter Four

4.  
  
That night Alice's Mom had a good report from Mark. "James loved you! He asked Mark could you be his regular babysitter?" She told her daughter, as they ate their dinner.  
  
"Did he?" Alice replied not sure what to say.  
  
"Of course I told him I'd have to check with you, but it's a bit of extra money for you." Her Mom said.  
  
Alice played with her chicken. It wasn't that she didn't like James, and it wasn't that she didn't like babysitting, it was simply that she really believed that there was something strange about Mark-even if other people told her that she was just imagining it! And what Cloe's Mom had said-that Alicia was devoted to her son, it made Alice wonder whether there was more to the story.  
  
"Alice?" Her Mom asked.  
  
"How often will regular be?" Alice asked.  
  
"I don't know, maybe once a week or so?" Alice's Mom replied.  
  
"Hmmm..well I guess it couldn't hurt could it?" Alice decided.  
  
"James will be delighted."  
  
**********  
  
"I'm going to be running late for school in the morning-I've got something to do." Alice said later that night on the phone to Cloe.  
  
"To do? Like what?" Cloe demanded.  
  
"Just stuff.." Alice hedged.  
  
"Spill it!" Cloe said, and Alice grinned.  
  
"I want to go the local library and look up the papers from three years ago." Alice admitted.  
  
"The papers? Why?" Cloe asked, and then she realised. "Let me guess: something to do with Mark."  
  
"I just cant understand why nobody wonders where she is!" Alice said with a sigh. "And besides, if I am going to be his son's regular babysitter if there is something strange going on I should know right?"  
  
"Strange how?" Cloe asked.  
  
"I don't know. Like maybe he told her to leave and not come back?" Alice suggested. "Maybe he threatened her with something if she came near James, or tried to contact him?"  
  
"Well that's not going to be in the newspapers is it?" Cloe asked.  
  
"I just want to see what they say about it!" Alice insisted.  
  
"Well I'll come with you then. Two minds are better than one right?" Cloe decided.  
  
Alice smiled. "Right, so we'll meet out the front at eight thirty then?"  
  
"Sure. See you in the morning." Cloe agreed.  
  
**********  
  
The next morning was chilly, and Alice stood on the library steps shivering, wondering how much longer Cloe was going to be? She'd been thinking about what Cloe said, about how the papers weren't exactly going to say that Mark threw his wife out, especially with everyone in town who knew about it thinking that his wife had left him. But what she wanted to know, was whether the police had tried to find her, or anything like that?  
  
Cloe arrived then, shivering as well. "Geez it's cold. Let's get in there!"  
  
  
  
The room where the newspapers were kept was in the back, and there were a few tables in the middle. Alice scanned the dates on the shelves. They kept the last four years papers, but any further back than that was on microfiche. Alice sighed, and took some of the papers from the stack three years ago. With a sigh also Cloe took some and followed Alice to the tables.  
  
For awhile they worked silently, and then Cloe looked up. "Here you go! There's only a small article mind you-I'll read it to you. 'Mark Wyatt, prominent barrister, reported to the police yesterday morning that his wife had left him. She took her car, some of her clothes, and her money. He produced a note which she left, which claimed that she didn't want to continue in an unhappy marriage, and that she had never wanted to have a child so young, and that she wanted to go and become famous!' And that's all it says."  
  
"Really? Is there any in the next few papers?" Alice asked, surprised.  
  
"No, there doesn't appear to be.." Cloe said.  
  
"So she just disappears and-"  
  
"-she didn't disappear, she ran away and left them!" Cloe corrected. "It happens all the time, although I believe it is usually the men who leave, not the women!"  
  
"It just seems too strange to me." Alice sighed.  
  
"I don't know why!" Cloe said, packing up the papers. "Just because for some reason you don't like him-"  
  
"-it's not that!" Alice insisted. "My liking him has nothing to do with whether or not I think the guy is fishy!"  
  
"Let's get to school." Cloe said, changing the subject.  
  
Alice frowned slightly, but they went to school.  
  
**********  
  
That night Mark called up and asked whether Alice could baby-sit tomorrow afternoon. "If you could pick him up from school and then go home? I'll give him a key, and I'll be home as soon as my meeting finishes. He normally goes to after-school care, but he's been asking whether you could look after him. I told him you could, but not every day since that would be asking a bit much!" Mark explained.  
  
"Sure, I could do that." Alice agreed.  
  
Later that night her brother called. "Are you still hating Mom's new man?"  
  
"I don't hate him, I just think there is something strange about him Chad!" Alice argued. And then she told him about Mark's wife just leaving and not being heard from in three years, not even to speak to her son! And how apparantly she was so devoted to the kid!  
  
"Maybe it was all a bunch of lies, and she wasn't happy and she wasn't devoted?" Chad suggested.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe there is something deeper-what if he is like a psycho and-"  
  
"-whatever. Anyway I'll be able to work out for myself soon enough." Chad replied.  
  
"What do you mean?" Alice demanded.  
  
"I'm coming over for a week or so." Chad explained.  
  
"You are? That's great! Does Mom know?" Alice asked.  
  
"Not yet-I was kind of thinking of making it a surprise for her!" Chad explained. "That's if you've learnt to keep secrets yet?"  
  
"I can keep a secret fine." Alice replied indignantly.  
  
"Can you just? What about Nana's surprise birthday a few years back? Who let the cat out of the bag then?" Chad asked.  
  
Alice blushed. "Well I was only a kid then!" she protested.  
  
"Well whatever the case I'll be arriving on Friday afternoon. I guess I can get a taxi or something and get to your place hopefully just before Mom gets home from work." Chad said.  
  
"That sounds great. It will be great to see you again!" Alice replied. She didn't add that she also wanted an ally against Mark. She was sure her brother would see the same strange thing in him as she did herself! 


	5. Chapter Five

5.  
  
"Have fun babysitting-be careful of the scary man!" Cloe said as Alice left school the next afternoon.  
  
Alice simply glared at her, she was in a rush and didn't have time for the conversation. Clearly Cloe thought that Alice was being silly with her concerns about Mark, but it didn't matter at the moment.  
  
James was very happy to see her, and he bounded round her telling her all about his day, and what he had done. His teacher, who was watching with a smile, suggested he go and get his bag. He hurried off to do it, and the teacher smiled at Alice.  
  
"I'm glad to see he's found someone who he's attached himself to. After his Mom left he was wary of getting close to anyone-even kids his own age, let alone older people!" She told Alice.  
  
Alice looked surprised. "You knew his Mom?"  
  
"Pretty well yes. She was on the parents committee here-never missed a meeting. Always very enthusiastic about things to do, things to build. She organized most of our fundraisers." The teacher replied.  
  
"And then she just left?" Alice asked, wondering whether the teacher would have any insight.  
  
"Just left.." The teacher replied thoughtfully. "I know that she always acted like she was happy and I think she was in most things, but not her marriage. If it weren't for her son she would have left years before."  
  
"But she did leave!" Alice protested. "And left James behind."  
  
"I know, it surprised me greatly." The teacher said, shaking her head.  
  
"Everyone seems to think that they had a great marriage, and that she had no reason for leaving." Alice said.  
  
The teacher frowned. "I know what people say-but I can tell you now that she complained to me on more than one occasion about Mark!" She said softly.  
  
"Complained? What about?" Alice asked curious, but the teacher shook her head.  
  
"I shouldn't get into gossip. And I don't want to put you off looking after James-especially since he's gotten so used to you!" The teacher replied.  
  
Alice sighed, and then saw James coming back with his bag. "Well thanks anyway." She said, and then she smiled at the kid. "You ready?"  
  
"Sure. When we get home can we have a snack?" James asked.  
  
"I don't know-do you normally have a snack?" Alice asked, wondering what she could and couldn't give him because of his diabetes.  
  
"At after-school care we normally do." James replied, and he took her hand as they walked down the corridor.  
  
"Then I'll see what I can do when we get home." Alice promised.  
  
Back at Mark and James' place Alice found a note for her from Mark, with a list of instructions which made her grin. The list was so long, and some of it was so obvious- 'if there is a fire get yourself and James out of the house?' She had to laugh.  
  
"What's funny? Can we eat now? I'm starving." James demanded.  
  
Alice decided to answer the second part of the question instead. "Sure, what do you normally have for a snack?"  
  
"Healthy stuff-I can't have sugar and things. I normally have crackers and cheese." James said, a little wistfully Alice thought. It must be hard on a kid to have to miss out on all the good things!  
  
"Well healthy can be nice too!" Alice said. She opened the fridge searching for the cheese.  
  
"It can be boring. My friend Luke gets to have chocolate all the time, and I can only sometimes have it, and only when it's the special sort." James said, then he brightened up. "Can we watch my favorite movie?"  
  
"Sure, you set it up while I make you these." Alice agreed. James went into the living room while she made him his snack, and then went in with it.  
  
"What is this movie anyway?" Alice asked, handing him the plate.  
  
"It's called 'Terminator' with Arnie in it! Have you seen it?" James asked.  
  
  
  
Noting the hopeful look in his eyes Alice said she hadn't.  
  
"Well Arnie goes round killing people and stuff." James explained as the movie began.  
  
"And your Dad lets you watch this?" Alice asked, before she could stop it slipping out.  
  
"He doesn't notice what I watch really because he is very busy." James said, not turning away from the television screen.  
  
As the movie played Alice let her mind wander. It seemed as though she were getting conflicting reports about Mark's marriage. Most people seemed to think it was great, but James' teacher had hinted that it wasn't exactly what it seemed. Then Cloe's voice came into her mind: 'It's none of your business anyway Alice! She left, and she's obviously not coming back. Let it go!' 'Smart advice Cloe!' Alice argued back in her mind. 'But there is something not quite right here, and considering my Mom is dating the guy it would be nice if I knew what it was!' The phone's ringing interrupted her make-believe argument. James was clearly not moving from the television screen, so Alice hurried to answer it.  
  
"Hello, Wyatt residence." Alice said.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Hello?" Alice asked.  
  
Silence again, but if she listened carefully she could hear heavy breathing on the other end. Frowning she hung up. She made a note to ask Mark whether they often got prank calls.  
  
"Was it Dad on the phone?" James asked.  
  
"No, it was a wrong number." Alice replied. "Why did you think it would be your Dad?"  
  
"He worries about leaving me with people. He used to call my old babysitter all the time-the one I had just after Mom left-and that's probably why she stopped coming. Maybe she didn't like me either?" James said.  
  
"James! I am sure she liked you fine. Maybe she had another reason for not coming, apart from your Dad bugging her all the time. What was her name anyway?" Alice said.  
  
"Katy Simmons." James said. "She was bossy though so it's okay. I like you a lot better!"  
  
Alice laughed, and they settled back to watch the movie. It was just beginning to get dark when Mark got home.  
  
"Was he any trouble?" He asked Alice.  
  
"None. We watched a movie and it's only just finished. I meant to ask you though, do you get many prank calls?" Alice asked.  
  
Mark hesitated, and Alice was sure he seemed pale. "No, why do you ask?" He asked as casually as he could manage.  
  
"No reason." Alice lied, wondering why it had bothered him so much.  
  
"There must have been a reason!" Mark insisted. "There is no way you'd just come out with a question about whether or not we get prank calls if there was no reason for it. It just isn't logical."  
  
Alice sighed. No wonder the guy was a lawyer! "I got a stupid prank call last night at home about whether or not my fridge was running, and I've had a few the last few days there, so I was wondering whether or not you get them also?"  
  
Mark sighed, with what Alice thought looked like relief. "No, we don't. It must be someone playing a joke on the new people." He suggested.  
  
"Must be." Alice agreed.  
  
"Well, let me get the rugrat and we'll drive you home." Mark said. 


	6. Chapter Six

6.  
  
Alice was having trouble concentrating in class. She was excited about her brother arriving that afternoon, and she was thinking about Mark's strange reaction the evening before. Was there something about prank calls which made him nervous? James had added that he had been nervous about leaving his son alone with a "stranger", and Mark had certainly acted that way with the long list of instructions.  
  
"Hey!" Cloe poked her in the ribs. "She's looking at you so at least look as though you're half alive!"  
  
Alice grinned, and tried to concentrate on the rest of the Math class.  
  
Afterwards Cloe asked her "How did the babysitting go?"  
  
"Fine. James really is a good kid." Alice replied.  
  
"And?" Cloe asked, raising an eyebrow. "I can tell there is something else on your mind."  
  
"Lots of things actually." Alice admitted. She told Cloe about the prank call and how it freaked her out a little considering the ones the other night, and Mark's strange reaction to the prank call.  
  
"Maybe he's just a nervous parent. Lots of single parents are." Cloe offered.  
  
"Perhaps." Alice agreed. "Cloe-do you know a girl called Katy Simmons?"  
  
Cloe stopped and stared at her. "What made you ask that?" She demanded.  
  
"Cloe!" Alice said, equally as surprised as her friend. "Do you know her then?"  
  
"I did." Cloe said, brushing her hair back from her face and sighing. "I knew her pretty well actually."  
  
"Knew her?" Alice muttered. "What's with the past tense?"  
  
"She's dead." Cloe said simply, and her friends jaw dropped.  
  
"We were friends up until middle school I guess. I grew up, started thinking about boys, and things, when she still wanted to play dolls. So we sort of went our separate ways. But she was sweet enough. Friendly enough." Cloe said sighing again. "They found her out on the highway, about twenty miles away. She'd been strangled. There were virtually no clues, and the case went unsolved. For awhile we were all pretty scared, and then the police told us they suspected she had been hitchhiking. We didn't think it was the sort of thing she would do, but on the other hand she was so sweet she would have trusted anyone.."  
  
"Geez." Was all Alice could say.  
  
"Why did you ask about her anyway?" Cloe asked. "I mean, how did you know her name?"  
  
"James." Alice replied. "She used to baby-sit him, and then he said she stopped coming, but he didn't know why."  
  
The two girls looked at each other in shock.  
  
"Now tell me that there isn't something strange about Mark?" Alice asked.  
  
Cloe hesitated, and then said "I guess it is kind of creepy, a freaky coincidence, but it doesn't mean anything. Unless you think Mark is a psycho killer?"  
  
Alice shook her head. "No, I don't think I'd go that far!" She said with a weak smile. "But I can't help but feel there is something weird about him."  
  
*****  
  
That afternoon Alice's brother arrived. She threw her arms around him, and they both went into the house to catch up.  
  
"How is Mom?" Chad asked.  
  
"She's good. She's.happy." Alice admitted.  
  
"Still don't like the boyfriend?" Chad asked.  
  
"Wait till you meet him." Alice replied. "How's Dad?"  
  
"He's okay.." Chad said, but Alice wasn't convinced.  
  
"You can't fool me-what's wrong?" She demanded.  
  
"Well he's not himself." Chad admitted. "I think he's been drinking too much, and he takes a lot of time off work. I think the divorce has hit him harder than it has Mom."  
  
"Funny, I would always have thought he would have coped better than she did." Alice mused.  
  
"Maybe if the circumstances were reversed. Mom was the one who decided on the divorce Alice-it wasn't mutual like they told us. And her moving over here wasn't just a career move." Chad said.  
  
Alice stared at him. "What are you saying?"  
  
"Dad told me some things last night. Mom met this Mark character at a conference in New York, and they got on well. So well that they kept emailing each other all the time, and just happened to both attend a conference on environmental mediation." Chad said, shaking his head. "I don't think there was anything between them other than friendship mind you, especially considering Dad knew about it. Then when Mom said she wanted a divorce it was interesting to note that she moved to the home city of Mark."  
  
Alice felt sick. "But he didn't help her get the job did he? I mean, they work in different firms!"  
  
"Oh she probably got that on her merits." Chad admitted. "All I'm saying is that it's interesting, and it's no wonder Dad is having a hard time of it. But the strange thing is that he doesn't blame her-he blames himself for not being a better husband and a better father, for working too long a hours..."  
  
Alice shifted in her seat. "I cant believe I didn't know this!" She finally managed to say. "I hate Mom for this!"  
  
"Don't do that!" Chad said. "Dad would hate it if we hated her. He doesn't hate her! You have to admit Mom and Dad weren't exactly the perfect match!"  
  
Alice had to smile. That much was true! Then she listened carefully. "That's Mom's car. Do we do a "surprise" thing?"  
  
"Right. You stay in here and I'll hide in the lounge room and then just come walking in as though there is nothing strange about me being here." Chad said, hurrying into the lounge room.  
  
Sure enough Alice's Mom came into the kitchen where Alice was sitting.  
  
"Hello sweetie how was your day?" She asked.  
  
"Fine." Alice replied shortly. Despite what Chad had said she was still a little annoyed at her Mom for her reasons in moving so far away. Not for the divorce, but simply for the fact that she'd moved here perhaps because Mark was here and she thought something might happen between the two of them?  
  
Her Mom frowned slightly, but there was no time to question her daughter further.  
  
"Hi Mom. What's for dinner? I am starved!" Chad said, walking into the kitchen.  
  
For a moment their Mom just stared at them, and then she rushed to hug her son. "You sneaks! You didn't tell me!" She admonished them both, her arms still tightly around her son. "Oh Chad it is so good to see you."  
  
"It's good to see you too Mom-and even her!" Chad replied, sticking his tongue out at his sister, who returned the favor. Their Mom looked delighted at their antics.  
  
"You two will never grow up." She said happily. "And how about we go out for tea? To celebrate you being here?"  
  
"Sure Mom." Chad agreed, and Alice nodded her head.  
  
"Okay, let me get changed into something a little more comfy, and then I'll take you both to this Chinese restaurant Mark took me to the other week. It's a well kept secret, but they serve the best meals there!"  
  
Noticing the look on Alice's face Chad said "I better get to meet this man and check him out before I go back home!"  
  
Their Mom laughed. "I'm sure you will. I was thinking of inviting him and his son over for dinner on Sunday anyway, so now I'll make sure I definitely do so you can meet him."  
  
She went to get changed and Alice made a face. "She thinks we're like one big happy family since I babysat for his son twice." Checking to make sure her Mom wasn't coming she gave her brother a quick run down on what had happened with the prank calls, and Mark's weird attitude, and then also the girl who used to babysit for James being killed, and the teacher saying that the marriage hadn't been the happiest.  
  
Chad listened carefully, and then shook his head. "I know it all seems strange, but I don't know that there is something in it all. The guy's wife left him, so no wonder he is nervous about leaving his kid with people-what if they hurt the kid again by leaving? And what if something happens to the kid when he is all he has left? As for the girl dying-well it's a coincidence at best. There is nothing whatsoever to indicate that Mark was involved or something-"  
  
"I didn't say he killed her!" Alice protested. "I don't think he is a killer-at least I don't think so yet!"  
  
"As for the marriage, well sure they want to put on a good front. Doesn't everyone?" Chad continued, ignoring his sister's comment.  
  
"Okay, okay, it might not sound like much to you..just wait till you meet him, and if you don't think he is creepy, or weird, or strange...well then I'll stop bugging you about it!" Alice promised.  
  
"Deal." Chad replied. "Here's Mom, lets get some food!" 


	7. Chapter Seven

7.  
  
Sunday evening Mark and James arrived for dinner. Alice had been sitting in the kitchen watching as her Mom cooked up a storm.  
  
"Mom," She said tentatively. "Why the big deal?"  
  
"Big deal? I don't know what you're talking about sweetie." Her Mom replied, but Alice wasn't buying it.  
  
She went into the room where her brother was sitting watching the sports. "Something is up!" She announced dramatically.  
  
"What?" Chad asked, taking his eyes off the game. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Mom. She's having a cooking frenzy out there like this is some kind of important dinner." Alice replied.  
  
"Maybe she wants to impress Mark?" Chad offered.  
  
"They've known each other for awhile now, wouldn't you think they'd be comfortable with each other and not have to impress each other?" Alice demanded.  
  
"Oh I don't know Alice...geez, let me tell you something for nothing: you're becoming really weird!" Chad said, a little sick of his sister's antics.  
  
Alice glared at him and left the room, convinced there was something going on! She went and called Cloe to let her know that she and Chad were going to go to the movies the next night, and get a bite of pizza in town also, and she wanted to know whether she's join them?  
  
"What's your brother like?" Cloe asked.  
  
"A pain in the butt!" Alice replied. "He refuses to listen to me when I tell him there is something strange about Mark, but he is meeting him tonight, so maybe then he might listen to me."  
  
Cloe coughed. "Listen Alice, I know you probably don't want to hear this-"  
  
"-then don't say it!" Alice warned.  
  
"I have to." Cloe replied. "I've been thinking about this all, and it's almost like it's becoming something of an obsession with you. As far as I can see Mark hasn't done anything weird, apart from being a little nervous about his son, which is only natural when the kids a diabetic. I mean he didn't make the prank calls did he?"  
  
Alice sighed. "I know it sounds stupid Cloe, but the very first time I met him I just thought there was something a little strange about him! And it just seems to much of a coincidence about Katy-"  
  
"-Katy was murdered hitchhiking!" Cloe interrupted.  
  
"I thought you said it wasn't likely?" Alice asked.  
  
"We didn't think so at the time, but when we thought about it more logically Katy would willingly get in the car with a stranger if she thought they were nice." Cloe argued.  
  
Alice sighed. "I don't want to fight about this. Let's just say I don't like Mark, but I'm not accusing him of being a psycho or anything!"  
  
"Okay, deal!" Cloe agreed.  
  
After she hung up Alice frowned. Why didn't anyone else think that Mark seemed a little strange? And why didn't anyone else think that his wife leaving, and the babysitter being killed was a coincidence? Or were they all right? Was Alice jumping to conclusions linking them all, simply because she didn't like Mark and thought there was something creepy about him? But then, had he even acted creepy lately, other than the strange reaction to the prank calls? She sighed, and decided that she should just let it go for now. For now, at least!  
  
*****  
  
That night Mark and James arrived for tea, all dressed nicely. Mark handed Alice's Mom a bottle of wine, and James handed her some flowers.  
  
"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Alice's Mom said, hugging the kid. Then she called through the lounge room. "Chad, Mark and James are here! Alice!"  
  
Alice and Chad went into the kitchen, and Alice watched as Chad sized Mark up.  
  
"Mark-this is my son Chad. Chad-Mark." Their Mom said.  
  
Mark smiled-fakely Alice couldn't help herself thinking- and held out a hand. Chad didn't hesitate to shake it.  
  
"I've heard a lot about you." Chad said, glancing at Alice.  
  
"Well I've heard a lot about you too-your Mom's very proud of you with the college scholarship and all." Mark said.  
  
Chad blushed. "Yeah, well, that was more luck than anything!" He said.  
  
"Nonsense!" His Mom said. "You were a shoo-in. Any college who didn't want you playing football for them shouldn't be allowed to teach anyone!"  
  
"This is my son James." Mark said, putting a hand on James' shoulder.  
  
"Hello James." Chad said, holding his hand out to the kid, who hesitated, and then shook it.  
  
"Hi Alice!" James said brightly, suddenly noticing her standing silently to the side. "When are you going to babysit me next?"  
  
"When your Dad asks me to." Alice replied, but she couldn't help but smile at the kid. He had that effect on her!  
  
"Should we sit down? Dinner's ready a little earlier than I expected it would be." Alice's Mom said, a little nervously Alice thought. She and Mark exchanged a look, and then they all trooped into the dining room, except Alice and her Mom who were serving.  
  
"What is it Mom?" Alice asked.  
  
"Tomato soup for entrée, and then for dinner roast chicken with herbs, potatoes, vegetables. And I made a crème brullle for desert." Her Mom replied, and Alice raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Different!" Alice muttered, but she helped her Mom take the soup into the dining room.  
  
During the meal they talked about Chad's football, and college, and other things. Then after desert Alice's Mom and Mark exchanged looks again.  
  
"It's great you're here Chad because we've got something important we want to announce." Alice and Chad's Mom said.  
  
Alice and Chad exchanged their own glances. Alice wished she could say 'See? I told you there was something going on here!'  
  
"Mark and I are getting married."  
  
Alice felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. "You're what?" She managed.  
  
"We're getting married!" Her Mom replied, smiling brightly.  
  
Alice forced a smile. "That's great Mom. I am happy for you." She lied.  
  
Her eyes locked with Mark's, and there was something strange in his eyes, almost as if he were challenging her to say something?  
  
"Congratulations guys!" Chad said, looking impressed.  
  
"What do you think buddy?" Mark asked his son.  
  
"Will Alice be over at our place all the time if you get married?" James asked.  
  
"Sure will." Mark replied.  
  
"Then I like the idea!" James declared, and they all laughed.  
  
*****  
  
Later that night Alice sighed to herself. It had been hard work pretending that she was happy about the upcoming marriage. She was pretty sure that her Mom knew she wasn't exactly over the moon about it all, and she was sure Mark knew as well, but she had acted as though she had no problems with it.  
  
"She can't marry him, she just CAN'T!" Alice muttered to herself. "I know there is something strange about him, I know it, but I don't know what!" 


	8. Chapter Eight

8.  
  
"They're getting married?" Cloe asked in shock, the next morning at school. "Quick work wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah!" Alice grumbled. "I had to act like it was fine, but I hate the very idea."  
  
"What did Chad say?" Cloe asked.  
  
"He thought it was good. When we were speaking about it later that night he said he thought that Mark would make Mom happy, and that was the most important thing!" Alice said disgustedly.  
  
"Well isn't that good? I mean, you don't want your Mom to be unhappy, do you?" Cloe asked.  
  
"Of course not. But I don't want her to be happy with him either. I better find out what's wrong with him before they get married!" Alice said.  
  
Cloe shook her head. "Okay, you do that..anyway, are we still on for tonight? I wouldn't mind meeting this brother of yours."  
  
"You'll hate him. I do." Alice replied darkly.  
  
"You don't hate him. You hate that he doesn't agree with you, but you don't hate him!" Cloe corrected her, and Alice had to laugh.  
  
*****  
  
"So this Cloe chick is your best friend?" Chad asked as he drove. Their Mom had let him have the car for the night.  
  
"Yes." Alice replied.  
  
"Is she a nutcase like you?" Chad asked.  
  
Alice didn't reply to that.  
  
"Look Alice, I know you don't like him, but you're going to have to try to make an effort for Mom. She loves him!" Chad said.  
  
"You don't understand. There is something weird about the guy-and I don't care what you think. You just like him because he complimented you on your great football prowess and said he was sure you'd become a pro after college!" Alice replied angrily.  
  
"You're very wrong about that Alice." Chad said calmly. "Just do me a favor alright-don't make things difficult for Mom!"  
  
"I wont." Alice said quietly. "There's the cinemas. If we park near here we can meet Cloe at the Pizza Parlor afterwards."  
  
******  
  
"I just don't think Sean Connery was bad enough." Alice said, as they walked into the pizza parlor a few hours later.  
  
"He had an evil laugh though!" Chad argued.  
  
"Yeah, but evil laughs don't equate with evil people." Alice said, thoughtfully. She was wondering whether or not Mark had an evil laugh?  
  
She spotted Cloe sitting in a booth, and led her brother over to her best friend. Cloe was dressed really nicely Alice noted, and she smiled at her brother.  
  
"Chad-Cloe, Cloe-Chad." Alice said, dropping into a seat.  
  
"It's nice to meet you. Alice talks about you all the time." Cloe said to Chad.  
  
Chad grinned. "I bet she does. And I bet I can guess what kind of things she says!"  
  
Cloe smiled. "No, she says nice things. She was so excited when she found out you were coming for a holiday." She insisted.  
  
Alice rolled her eyes, but said nothing.  
  
"Well she speaks about you a lot too!" Chad said.  
  
"I'm going to get the pizza-the lot alright with both you?" Alice asked, having had enough of this by now.  
  
Chad nodded, not taking his eyes off Cloe. Cloe nodded, not taking her eyes off Chad.  
  
Alice sighed. This was shaping up to be a long night.  
  
*****  
  
"I liked your friend." Chad said later that night. They were walking up the pathway into the house, having dropped Cloe off home on the way.  
  
"I noticed." Alice replied grumpily.  
  
"Huh?" Chad looked confused.  
  
"Well you and her didn't take your eyes off one and another all night." Alice said. "And you didn't even hardly speak to me."  
  
"Why? So we could discuss Mark and how strange he is?" Chad teased.  
  
"I know that you both think I'm crazy-" Alice began.  
  
"-Yes!" Chad interrupted.  
  
"But I am going to show you both. I am going to find out what it is about Mark which is so strange, and then you will both be eating your own words!" Alice continued. And her head held high in the air she stalked inside.  
  
"Oh, your home. How was the movie and pizza?" Alice's Mom asked.  
  
"Fine." Alice replied.  
  
"Hmm...well, Mark was wondering whether or not you could babysit James tomorrow night. He has an important dinner date with a client, and since James and you both seem to get along so well..." Her Mom trailed off.  
  
"I'll do it!" Alice said, her mind racing. It was the perfect time to see what else she could find out about Mark. She had to find something on him- and soon! Maybe it was only something little, something practically insignificant, or maybe it was something bigger, but Alice was convinced that there was something strange about her Mom's new fiancée!  
  
As she was walking upstairs Chad grabbed her arm. "What gives? You agreed to that pretty fast!"  
  
"Let go of me!" Alice snapped. "And I happen to have babysat for James on a few occasions and we get along well. It's easy money, that's all."  
  
"Remember what I told you Alice! Don't make things difficult for Mom!" Chad warned. 


	9. Chapter Nine

9.  
  
As Alice's brother dropped her off over at Mark's the following night he warned her again. "Remember Alice; don't go making waves over nothing. Mom is happy, and I swear to god if you ruin it for her I will kill you!"  
  
"Relax Chad." Alice told him.  
  
"That's easy enough for you to say." Chad muttered. "I saw the look on your face when Mom asked you about babysitting tonight. I've got a good mind to stay here and keep an eye on you."  
  
Alice grinned. "Yeah, but that would mean standing Cloe up wouldn't it?"  
  
He went red, and muttered something she didn't catch.  
  
"Have a nice night at the movies. Make sure you're here to pick me up though!" Alice said. Earlier that afternoon Cloe had rung to see whether they wanted to go to a movie. She'd conveniently forgotten the conversation she had with Alice in school that day about how Alice was babysitting James that night, and when she found out only Chad could go Alice was sure she was pretending to be disappointed. It didn't really bother her-Chad was leaving at the end of the week anyway! The only thing which bothered her was that during school Cloe refused to discuss anything about Mark. She said that Alice was becoming obsessed with the idea, and she didn't want to know about it anymore. Alice fumed for a bit-those words were her brother's!-but got over it.  
  
Mark answered the door ready to leave. "I thought you might be late, so it's good to see you're on time." He said. Alice remembered the first time she had babysat and he had thought that they weren't coming when they were only a few minutes late.  
  
"Where's James?" Alice asked, instead.  
  
"Finishing off his dinner. He's been a little tired and run down the last day or two, so he's going to bed half an hour earlier alright?"  
  
"No problems." Alice replied, thinking that it was a great idea!  
  
An hour later James was in bed, and Alice was free to see whether or not she could find any information. She'd asked James what his Dad had told him about Katy not babysitting anymore. Apparently he had told James that she was too busy, but James declared, he was lying. Alice had looked disbelieving but James assured her that he could tell whenever his Dad was lying. "Like when he talks about Mom. He says she left with no note, no anything. He's lying there too!" Alice had contemplated asking the kid more, but decided that it wasn't fair to do so.  
  
Now she roamed the house restlessly. In the lounge room she spotted a photo of Mark, James and who she assumed was Alicia. She studied the photo thoughtfully. They didn't look unhappy, but she reasoned, photographs weren't meant to look sad were they? And then there was also a photo of Alicia and James together, and she was smiling down at her son proudly. Did she look like the kind of woman who would just leave her husband and son and never return?  
  
The phone began to ring, and Alice hurried to get it, her chest pounding. She knew what she would hear-nothing. Sure enough, there was silence on the other end of the phone. Alice hung it up shaking her head. A thought occurred to her that it was a client of Mark's, maybe not too happy about Mark's work? She shrugged, and started out of the room, but the phone began to ring again.  
  
"Listen areshole!" Alice snapped. "Get a life and stop making stupid prank calls. You don't scare me!"  
  
There was a silence on the end and then "Prank calls? You're getting prank calls?"  
  
Alice could have kicked herself. It was Mark!  
  
"Well I just got one, but it was probably the wrong number." Alice said.  
  
"Maybe." Mark said slowly. "Is James alright?"  
  
"Yes, he's fine." Alice said. "How's the dinner coming along? It doesn't sound very noisy there."  
  
"Oh, I'm outside on my cell phone." Mark replied.  
  
"Oh okay, well everything's fine here. I'm about to sit down and watch television for awhile." Alice lied.  
  
"Okay, have a nice night then." Mark replied.  
  
Alice sighed, and returned to her wanderings. In reality she needed to ask people who knew Alicia. A sudden thought occurred to her and she went to the study and searched for Mark's address book. She found it in the top draw of the desk and flipped through it. There it was; Alicia's parents! She found a scrap piece of paper and copied the phone number down. Tomorrow she would give them a call. Then she went through the local phone book, looking for the name Simmons. There were three in the area, so she copied down the phone numbers of them too. Then a noise startled her, and she got up and walked out towards the hall, listening carefully for a few minutes. There were no other noises, and she inwardly laughed at herself for being such a baby! She decided to watch television after all, and was soon engrossed in a program.  
  
The phone began to ring again, and Alice glanced at her watch. Almost ten thirty, probably Chad letting her know he was on his way over. Or Mark letting her know he was leaving the restaurant and on his way home! She answered it.  
  
"Hello, Wyatt residence."  
  
"Hello Alice. I hope my last call didn't scare you too much." A voice said. It was a male voice, and muffled as if he had a tissue or something over the phone.  
  
"Not at all." Alice said airily. "I just thought it was stupid that's all."  
  
"Just stupid hey?" The man sounded a little annoyed. "Well maybe now you might change your mind. Go and check on the kid..."  
  
"What?" Alice asked, her heart racing.  
  
"Just do it." The man said, and hung up.  
  
Heart in her throat Alice hurried up the stairs and into James' room. James was sleeping comfortably, and she breathed a sigh of relief, but then something caught her eye. On top of his bedding was a kitchen knife. It just lay there, and Alice knew for certain it hadn't been there before. Her knees turned to jelly, and she held onto the chest of draws to stop from falling over. Through the window she saw a beam of light, and then a car was in the driveway. She hurried over to the window and looked down. Thank god, it was Chad! She hurried downstairs to greet him, deciding not to tell Mark nor Chad about what had happened that night, and determined to make some phone calls the next day! 


	10. Chapter Ten

10.  
  
Alice sighed, as she waited for someone to answer the phone. Her Mom was still at work, and Chad had gone to the shops since he had decided to cook dinner for them all that night. The next day, Thursday, was his last full day there before he went back home.  
  
"Hello?" An elderly lady finally answered, a little breathless.  
  
"Uh.hi.." Alice said, wishing she had rehearsed what she was planning on saying. ".Um is this.do you have a daughter called Alicia?"  
  
The lady was silent a moment. "Who is this?" She asked.  
  
"My name is..the thing is, I know this might sound stupid to you. But I need to know some things about your daughter and her marriage. Mark is getting married to my Mom, but I just get this idea there is something strange about him?" Alice said flustered.  
  
"We always thought Mark was a nice enough young man." The lady said.  
  
"Oh." Alice said.  
  
"However after the birth of their son-and I know I probably shouldn't be telling you personal things like this, but I think if Mark is going to become part of your family you deserve to know-things changed. Mark became more controlling. She couldn't even go and have lunch with friends without him demanding to know where she was and who she was with. When James started going to pre-school she wanted to go back to work part time, but Mark refused to let her! Things got worse and worse-he began to abuse her mentally and physically and she told me that she wanted a divorce. When she told Mark this he vowed to change, and when she still insisted on a separation he refused point blank. It was only a week or so after this that she disappeared! Since she had only really discussed the abuse and the idea of a divorce with me nobody else knew about it, and they all assumed that they'd had a happy marriage, and thought badly of Alicia for leaving Mark and especially James. But like I told the police Alicia would never, ever have just left and not spoken to James since. Something happened to her!"  
  
Alice felt her breath catch in her throat, and managed to ask "Do you mean that Mark did something?"  
  
"Not necessarily, no. She may well have left, perhaps intending to come back soon, and something happened to her then." The lady replied. "But my daughter and I were very, very close and there is no way that if she were still alive she would not have contacted me. No way."  
  
Alice hung up from the conversation feeling strange. The lady had not said that Mark was responsible for any wrongdoing, but Alice still felt that there was something strange happening. She dialed the first Simmons in town, however when she asked whether they had a daughter named Katy they said no, so she tried the second ones. This time a girl probably about Alice's age answered and when Alice asked whether or not they were the family who had a child named Katy who was killed the girl said they were.  
  
"I know this unusual, but I understand Katy babysat." Alice said.  
  
"She did. She babysat for two families." The girl replied.  
  
"Right, someone named Wyatt?" Alice asked.  
  
"Yes, a Mark Wyatt, and she babysat for his son James. She said James was a real cutie!" The girl replied.  
  
"See the thing is I babysit for James also, and my Mom is engaged to Mark," Alice explained. "And I can't shake the feeling I get that there is something strange about him!"  
  
The girl hesitated and then sighed. "I only met Mark once-I'm Katy's younger sister by the way, although we were only a year apart so we were pretty close- but you're right. I thought there was something strange about him. I said as much to Katy, but she laughed it off. 'He's nice enough!' she insisted. I told her I thought he had a strange look in his eyes, and she laughed at that too. 'You always had too much imagination!' she told me. I don't know about that. She was always too trusting though. When we were in grade school a man offered her a lift home, and she thought it was nice and took the lift and he almost sexually assaulted her. Of course not everyone knows about that-it's not the thing you want to talk about! You'd think that would have changed her mind, but it didn't really, at least not much! My parents often worried about her. See Katy was so sweet and trusting, but the thing is, she was not all that bright. And it made it worse because we worried about her more. Even though I was the younger sister sometimes I felt like I was the elder one!" She laughed.  
  
"So she never said anything strange about Mark?" Alice asked, a little disappointed.  
  
"Well there was once, just before she died, and she was due to babysit for James, and she said to me something along the lines of I don't want to do this. I asked her why not, but she didn't tell me, but there was something in her expression which made me think she was scared. And then she dies! The police were adamant that it was because she was hitchhiking, but I don't buy that. The one exception to Katy's trustingness was that she wouldn't get in a car with a stranger. Not after the assault. She'd speak to people in the shops, and she'd believe and trust people, but she never, ever would have gotten in the car with a strange man!" Katy's sister insisted this adamantly.  
  
Alice felt sick. So if Katy hadn't been murdered whilst hitchhiking what had happened to her? And for that matter, was it related to the disappearance of Alicia? The sound of a car in the driveway brought her back to her senses. It was Chad returning home from the shops.  
  
"Thanks for all your help!" Alice said.  
  
When Chad came in she was still sitting by the silent phone. He glanced at her.  
  
"What's up? You look kind of pale." He said.  
  
"Pale? No, I'm not. I'm fine. Is Cloe coming over for dinner also?" Alice asked. She knew that Chad and Cloe had spent close to an hour on the phone that afternoon when school had finished.  
  
"No. I like her and all, but there isn't really much point her coming over is there?" Chad replied, with a sigh. "I mean, I'll be going back home and all soon, so it's not like anything can happen."  
  
"Haven't you heard of long distance relationships?" Alice asked.  
  
Chad raised an eyebrow. "The other day you were annoyed about the idea of us, and now you're a cupid. What gives?"  
  
Alice shrugged. "I just want you to be happy. And of course I want Cloe to be happy too."  
  
Chad shrugged, and began to prepare dinner. "We are happy. We both know this is for the best."  
  
"Fair enough. Do you need any help?" Alice offered.  
  
"No, I've got it all under control. Go and be a nutcase or something." Chad replied.  
  
"You'll see very soon I'm not a nutcase!" Alice snapped.  
  
Chad frowned. "What have you been doing now?" He demanded.  
  
"Nothing!" Alice insisted, but he didn't have a chance to question her any further as their Mom returned then.  
  
"Oh by the way Alice, Mark wants to know whether you can babysit tomorrow evening? He said he has something special on. He didn't say what, he said something about it being a surprise, but he needs someone to look after James." Alice's Mom asked.  
  
Alice hesitated. She didn't really want to, but her Mom was looking at her expectantly, and she looked so happy, and Alice nodded. "Sure." She muttered. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

11.  
  
"..and are you still going to tell me that there's not something fishy about Mark?" Alice demanded the next day at school. She'd just finished telling her best friend all she had learnt from her phone conversations the day before.  
  
Cloe had to shake her head. "This does sound strange. And you're actually going over there to babysit?"  
  
"Well he doesn't know that I suspect anything does he? He just thinks I don't like him because of him dating my Mom." Alice replied.  
  
"Maybe, but I wouldn't be going over there." Cloe said.  
  
"If I don't go then he will think that I suspect something wont he? Until I get some concrete proof I have to keep acting the same."  
  
"Just be careful!" Cloe told her.  
  
*****  
  
"Thanks for coming over Alice." Mark said the next day.  
  
"No problems." Alice said, trying to sound like she wasn't nervous about anything, but in her mind her voice sounded slightly shaky.  
  
"Well you've got my cell phone number, but as usual I am sure you'll be fine." Mark said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure we will too." Alice replied.  
  
After Mark had left James and Alice sat down to another game of Monopoly.  
  
"I'm glad you're here tonight, not Dad." James told her, as he moved his racing car along the board.  
  
"You are? Why?" Alice asked surprised.  
  
"He's just been really weird lately." James replied.  
  
"Weird? What do you mean?" Alice asked, holding the dice in her hand.  
  
"I don't know how to explain it. He was talking about Mom the other day, and he's just been acting strange. Like something is bothering him, or even scaring him?" James replied. "Aren't you going to roll those dice?"  
  
Alice threw the dice and moved her horse accordingly. James whooped.  
  
"That's my house. You owe me!" He cried.  
  
Alice dutifully handed over the money. "What did he say about your Mom?"  
  
"Well he said he made lots of mistakes with Mom, and that he wished he could take it all back sometimes. And then he said something about it not being the only thing he wanted to take back. But he was just talking to himself more than me, and then when he saw me in the room he snapped at me to go to bed! He never yells at me!" James' eyes teared up.  
  
"I'm sure he didn't mean to yell at you!" Alice assured him. "He cares about you very much, you know that!"  
  
After the game James had to go to bed, and as Alice finished tucking him in she had to run for the phone.  
  
"Hello?" She asked, her voice quivering.  
  
"I just thought I should ring and say goodbye to you." The man said. In the background Alice heard a car.  
  
"What are you talking about?" She asked.  
  
"You're going to die tonight, and it's such a pity because you're a nice girl and all..but there really is no other choice for it now." The man said.  
  
Alice took a deep breath. "Listen, this really isn't funny. I'll call the police."  
  
"I'm about to cut the wires to your phone, so that's not going to happen!" The man said.  
  
Alice felt chilled to the bone. "Please stop playing these games-"  
  
All of a sudden the phone went dead. For a moment she debated running upstairs to James, and then she decided that she'd run next door to call the police from there. She opened the front door and started across the front lawn when the shadowy figure of someone made her jump. She opened her mouth to scream and then saw it was Mark.  
  
"What's wrong? Why are you out the front?" Mark asked. "Is James alright?"  
  
"Yes.I just heard someone and thought it was Chad playing tricks." Alice lied. It was a pretty flimsy lie, she thought, sure Mark would see straight through it. But he didn't seem to.  
  
"Oh, well come on back inside. I know I'm early, but I had a migraine, so I thought I'd be best off just coming home and going to bed. Do you need a lift home or is someone coming to pick you up?" Mark asked.  
  
"Chad or Mom was coming to pick me up." Alice replied.  
  
"Well come in and you can call them to get you." Mark offered.  
  
Alice didn't know what to say. How was she meant to tell him that there was something wrong with the phones? They went back inside and Mark shut the door, and dropped his wallet, keys and cell phone on the stand by the door. They went into the kitchen.  
  
"Go on, give them a call." He said, handing Alice the phone.  
  
Alice sighed, and pressed the dial button. There was no tone, as she had suspected. "Uh..the phone doesn't seem to be working." She told Mark.  
  
"It doesn't?" Mark asked taking it and listening. "Strange."  
  
"I guess I could walk home or something." Alice said. "I don't want you to have to go out with your migraine and all." She could hardly tell him that she didn't want to let him drive her home could she?  
  
Mark sighed. "I don't want you walking around at night. You never know who might be out there." He said, and a strange look crossed his face then. "No, I'll run you home. Just let me check in on James first."  
  
He went upstairs and Alice looked around. Then she remembered that Mark had left his cell phone in the hallway, and darted in there. She picked it up and stared at it in confusion. It was a new model, and seemed quite complicated. She located what she thought was the call button however it started to dial another number, and on the screen it said, "dialing last number.." And this then changed to "dialing home.." Alice stared at it in shock as the operator informed her that there the phone number she had called was currently out of order, and then hearing Mark's footsteps on the stairs, she shut it and put it back on the stand. Her mind was reeling; Mark had called here last. Did that mean Mark had been the one who had made the prank call only a little while ago? And had he then cut the phone lines?  
  
"Ready Alice? Ready to die?" Mark asked her, as he came into the hallway.  
  
Alice opened her mouth to scream or yell, but nothing came out. She was frozen with fear.  
  
Mark laughed. "That's exactly how Katy looked when I said the same thing to her!" He informed her. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

12.  
  
"What?" Alice managed to ask, her heart beating faster than she had ever thought possible.  
  
"Yes, she said the same thing. I guess it's alright to tell you these things Alice since I am going to kill you." Mark replied. "Of course I never planned to tell you until you started to meddle in my life. I wasn't going to ever hurt anyone again-I wanted to live happily and forget my past and my mistakes!"  
  
"You won't hurt my Mom will you?" Alice asked, scared.  
  
"No! I happen to love your Mom, and I get the feeling she is really going to need the support of a nice loving man in the near future. Especially when she finds out about how her daughter died after deciding to walk home. For my part I plan to feel guilty about letting you walk home, but you insisted because of my migraine and all. I might call your Mom to let her know you're on your way home and tell her that I offered to drive you, but since I had taken tablets for my migraine you decided it would be safer to walk. Then she will wonder where you are, and the police will eventually be called and then discover your body. I'll be devastated of course. How much death and tragedy can one man have to endure in his life I'll ask tearfully!" Mark explained.  
  
"You killed Katy. Why?" Alice demanded.  
  
"I killed her for the same reason as I am going to kill you. She got to close to the truth. Like you she was nosy!" Mark explained.  
  
"I don't know what you mean!" Alice insisted.  
  
"When I came home after you babysat last I found the telephone book open at the page where the Simmons' were listed. This aroused my curiosity, and then I noticed that my desk draw seemed slightly open. This could all be a coincidence of course, until today when picking my son up the teacher told me that she found James' new babysitter very caring. She mentioned that she wanted to know all about my wife and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. She assumed it was because you thought you should know being James' babysitter and thought it was very conscientious. I knew better of course! I then called my mother-in-law and asked whether or not she had any strange phone calls lately, and she denied it, but I could hear in her voice she was lying..." Mark shook his head. "I knew you were on to me!"  
  
"What about the prank calls? Were they all you?" Alice asked, wondering whether it was possible to stall him. She glanced at the clock. It was still almost an hour before someone would come to pick her up. There was no way she could stall him that long.  
  
"Yes. Sometimes I was just checking to make sure everything was alright here. Then the others...well I've always had a sense of humor so in part they were jokes. They were also intended in scaring you a little, making you think that there was some weirdo about so then you would stop thinking about me. I knew from the very first time I met you that you didn't seem to like me. At first I assumed it was because of your Mom and I dating. Then, however, I began to think by the way you looked at me, that it was something else. Luckily I worked out all the clues, wasn't it?" He said.  
  
"Yeah, real lucky." Alice muttered.  
  
"You were right about me killing Katy. She was asking me questions about Alicia, and there was that same look on her face which alerted me to you. The final straw for her was that I found out that she had been asking around town all about me and my marriage. Then I knew that she suspected something. She wasn't very smart, so she probably would never have actually worked out what had happened, but I wasn't about to give her the chance to work it out, that's for sure." Mark sighed. "So I arrived home early, and offered to give her a lift home. She seemed a little nervous about it, but she knew me, so she decided that it was alright. And of course she had no idea I was on to her little investigation. I killed her, and I drove down the highway to dump her body. First, though, I forced her to call home and say that she was leaving my place now, and that she had called for a cab. They believed that, and then later on, I told them that she told me that she'd called then and told them she was walking home and they said that was fine!"  
  
"And what about Alicia?" Alice asked. Part of her didn't want to hear it, but the other part of her was curious about the woman in the photo.  
  
"Alicia told me she wanted a divorce. I was shocked. We had been putting up a good front for everyone, and nobody knew that our marriage was in trouble. Even her closest friends thought that we only had our little problems. She'd been giving me trouble for awhile, and I had begun to suspect that there was someone else in her life who was more important to her than James and me. I hit her one night, trying to get it out of her, but she kept telling me she had no idea what I was speaking about..I hit her a few times after that, but I always felt bad about it. And then she mentioned the divorce again, pretty much insisting on it. Even though I had told her that it wasn't going to happen. It was then that I decided. I forced her to write a note saying she was leaving, and she did it even though she was crying the whole time pleading with me. I killed her in the middle of the night, and then I put her in the trunk of her car, with her money, purse and a few other things she might have taken. I drove to a lake and I got out, and put the car in neutral, and then I let it run down and into the lake, where it sunk, along with her body. So yes, I did kill her, just like I am about to kill you!"  
  
Alice didn't know what to say.  
  
"So, what do you think about taking a little drive now?" Mark asked. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

13.  
  
Alice didn't know what to do, or what to say. There would be no way to convince Mark that she wasn't going to tell anyone, or even that she didn't know anything, since he had confessed it all to her! She realised then, that this could be her last few minutes on earth.  
  
"Please, if you do kill me-" She began.  
  
"-there are no ifs! I am going to kill you." Mark interrupted.  
  
"Please be good to Mom. Don't hurt her. Make her happy!" Alice pleaded.  
  
A strange look came over Mark's face. "You're about to die, and your concern is for your Mom not for yourself?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes." Alice admitted, a little surprised herself.  
  
"I told you that I love your Mom. I would never hurt her." Mark assured her.  
  
"But you hurt your first wife." Alice argued.  
  
"Alicia was lying to me. I know she was having an affair. Your Mom would never do that to me." Mark replied. "And I didn't like to hurt Alicia. Every time I hurt her I felt bad about it afterwards. I asked her to please not make me hurt her, but she always did."  
  
'Is that the sound of a car parking nearby?' Alice wondered suddenly. 'If a neighbour has parked outside their house and she screamed loud enough would they hear?'  
  
"Let's go and get this over with. I don't like having to do this you know." Mark said, and he grabbed her arm roughly. "And don't think about screaming for a second." He added, as he then showed her the gun he had been holding in his pocket.  
  
Alice's spirit's crumbled. It looked like there was nothing she could do to save herself. The only thing she knew was that she wasn't going to go quietly. She was going to struggle and fight for her life.  
  
Outside there was no signs of anyone, there was no way that Alice could get someone's attention.  
  
"Where's your car?" Alice asked.  
  
"Around the corner." Mark replied. "And don't try and run. If you scream, run, or do anything to attract anyone's attention you wont be the only one dying tonight."  
  
Alice assumed he meant that he would also kill the person who responded to her, until he added "Not that killing your Mom would give me any pleasure."  
  
It was her love for her Mom which made her silent with dread. This man was going to kill her, and he was going to marry her Mom. And no matter what he said about caring for her and not hurting her, he was still a cold-blooded killer!  
  
They started to walk along the path, Mark's hand still gripping Alice's arm so tightly that it hurt. From the other direction she saw someone walking his or her dog. They may, or may not, have glanced at them, but they disappeared into a house, and Alice felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She was really going to be killed! And then suddenly from in the shadows men began to pop up everywhere, and spotlights were on them. One of them stepped closer and said loudly "Let the girl go Wyatt. It's over!" Alice felt her heart jump. The police! Somehow they'd rescued her! She wasn't going to die!  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Mark said, whining.  
  
"We're pretty sure you're responsible for the death of your wife, and for that of Katy Simmons. And you're not going to hurt the girl. Come quietly if you know what's good for you." The police officer replied, and he leveled his gun at Mark, along with others.  
  
Mark let go of her arm, and Alice turned and ran from him towards the police. A woman police officer put her arm around her, and asked whether she was all right? Although she was shaking Alice managed to tell her that she was fine. "But how did you know?" she asked.  
  
"We got a call from your brother.." The policewoman replied. "He'll explain it all to you. And we have enough evidence to charge him with trying to kill you and I think we have enough to at least make a case for him killing the other two."  
  
"He told me it all." Alice replied shivering. "He did it. He killed them both!"  
  
The policewoman couldn't contain her delight. Hard evidence!  
  
*****  
  
"I'm fine Mom, stop fussing!" Alice said impatiently, as her Mom tried to push another mug of hot chocolate into her hands, later that night at the police station. "I just want to know how Chad knew?"  
  
"Cloe called me to say goodbye, and she told me all that you learnt. It was enough for me to call the police!" Chad explained.  
  
"And enough for me when he told me he'd called the police!" Her Mom replied, shaking her head. "I can't believe I was going to marry that man."  
  
"I'm sorry Mom." Alice said. "I always thought there was something strange about him, but I was sure if I told you that you'd say it was just because I didn't want you to be with him!"  
  
"I probably would have." Her Mom said, looking sick. "And of course I feel sorry for James."  
  
"Me too." Alice admitted. "I wonder what will happen to him?"  
  
"I believe he is going to live with his Mom's Mother." Alice's Mom replied.  
  
"Well that's something good for him." Alice replied. She was still shaky from her close escape, but she was relieved it was all over and that Mark would get what he deserved! And she was also grateful that Cloe and Chad had worked it out!  
  
THE END! 


End file.
